


Movie Night

by HLine



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22203580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HLine/pseuds/HLine
Relationships: Ezra Bridger & Kanan Jarrus, Space Family (Star Wars Rebels)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 57
Collections: Phoenix Nest Holiday Exchange 2019-2020





	Movie Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WolfMarauder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfMarauder/gifts).

Ezra blinked. Standing in the doorway leading to the Ghost’s living space, he watched as Sabine and Zeb rearranged the furniture so that it was facing the holoprojecter, conversing with each other in low tones. Straining his ears, he could hear them debating the best place to put Zeb’s personal chair.

What the hell was this all about? They’d gone to one of Lothal’s tiny markets yesterday to pick up supplies, and he remembered Sabine being excited by one stall in particular. He’d been focused on finding the meiloorun fruit on Hera’s grocery list (this time with strict orders to leave the Imperials alone), so he hadn’t really paid attention, but he thought that the stall had been nothing special. Just some electronics and old bootleg Republic serials; nothing that should be causing the rearrangement of the living space. 

A heavy hand clapped down on his shoulder, making him jump. Snapping his head around, he relaxed once he saw that it was Kanan. “Hey Kanan,” he said, “do you know what’s going on?”

Kanan smiled down at him and began to gently guide him away from the living space and towards the galley. “You didn’t hear? Sabine was crowing about it all last night.”

Ezra shrugged, enjoying the warmth of the older man’s hand on his shoulder. “Well, I was pretty tired from all the shopping and Jedi training we did yesterday, you know?” He smiled back at the man, hoping that it was clear that he wasn’t complaining. Kanan accepting him as a student was too new; he didn’t want him to think that he didn’t appreciate everything he was doing for him. 

Thankfully, Kanan didn’t seem to read too much into his words. As they entered the galley, the smell of something rich and sweet hit Ezra’s nose. There was a pot on the stove, and Kanan went over to it, picking up a spoon as he went. Taking off the lid, the rich smell intensified, making Ezra’s mouth water. Kanan looked into the pot thoughtfully and stirred it once before lifting the spoon to his mouth and taking a taste. He made a pleased noise, but reached into the nearest cupboard, pulling out a packet of something.  
“You remember the stall from yesterday?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder. 

“Sort of,” Ezra said, shuffling forward to peer into the pot. There was something golden in it, bubbling away. “Bunch of old electronics and serials, right?”

Kanan nodded. “Sabine found some old Mandalorian vids - I think they’re called ‘Star Wars’ or something like that. All melodramatics and action. Apparently all Mandalorians watch them at least once in their lives, and she suggested we make a night of it.”

“Oh.” Ezra kept staring down at the pot, sucking on his lower lip. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d watched a holovid. There were times when he’d still had his parents, of course, but he couldn’t remember what they had watched together. 

“Yeah. Oh.” Ezra looked up and saw that Kanan was smiling down at him softly. 

Dipping the spoon back into the pot, he held the handle out towards him. “This is a sauce for for one of the snacks that I’m making. Want to help?”

Ezra chewed on his lower lip for a second. Then accepted, nodding and taking the spoon gingerly. “What do you want me to do?”

“Right now? Just keep stirring. It’s boiled so now we need to let it simmer without burning.”

Ezra nodded and began to do so. Kanan watched him for a moment before moving away, opening up the fridge and pulling out a bag. Grabbing a bowl, he opened the bag and poured out its contents into it. They looked like weird craggy yellow balls; Ezra had never seen something like them.

“Once the sauce has thickened and looks a light brown, dump this in and slowly stir them in until they’re all coated; then you can spread them out on a sheet pan to dry,” he instructed, placing the bowl down beside Ezra. Reaching above the boy, he pulled out the afore-mentioned sheet pan. “I’ll leave it on the table, okay?”

Ezra nodded. “Okay.”

Kanan paused, the sheet pan clutched between both hands. “Just okay?” he asked, his tone both playful and concerned. 

Staring down at the pot, Ezra ducked his head a little. “It’s just…been a while since I’ve been able to watch a holovid.”

Kanan’s voice shaded into something more concerned. “Right. I suppose that it’s hard to find a player when you’re…”

Ezra nodded silently. “Yeah. Last time was before my parents were taken.”

Silence settled over the galley. Ezra kept his gaze steady on the sauce.

Behind him, there was a low clink as Kanan set down the tray. Then one of his large hands gently took his shoulder. “If this is bringing up bad memories, we don’t need to watch. I can say that we need to do more Jedi training, or something like that.”

Ezra shook his head. “No, you don’t have to do that. They’re not —” He faltered for a second, his chest squeezing. “They’re not bad memories. Just…memories, you know?” Taking a risk, he looked up.

Kanan’s eyes were soft as he looked down on him. “I do know,” he said quietly. “Bittersweet, I think is the word your looking for.”

Ezra swallowed. “Yeah,” he said, thinking of those soft and happy memories that nonetheless made his chest hurt as he recalled them. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Ezra thought for a moment. Did he want to? Part of him did, to speak about his parents out loud; to admit that they had existed and loved him. A larger part, though — a greedier part — recoiled at the thought, hoarding the memories close. And an even larger part, one that encompassed everything else —

Well, that part was tired. Tired of the familiar pain of thinking of his family, and feeling an absence. 

Sabine had been so excited, when they had come back to ship. Even as tired as he had been, he’d noticed how she’d practically skipped up to the cockpit to talk to Hera. And the others — Zeb and her talking as they rearranged the chairs, Kanan preparing food — it was so normal, so familiar, so much like how it had been when he had had a home before…

“…No. I’m okay.” He looked down at the pot, noting that the stuff had turned the golden yellow that Kanan had talked about. “Is this the right shade?”

Kanan looked at the pot as well and hummed thoughtfully; whether that thoughtfulness was about the colour of the sauce or his reply, Ezra couldn’t tell. “Just a bit longer, I think,” he said.

And so they passed the afternoon like that, making the sauce and coating the balls in it before spreading them out to dry, and preparing thermoses of tea and other hot drinks. Once the sun had gone down, he had helped transport the food and drinks into the living room, where Sabine had been arguing over some of the wiring in the holotable with Chopper. Zeb had already been in his chair, his feet propped up, and Hera sitting on the main couch, watching Sabine and the droid with an amused and indulgent smile. Thankfully, at the sight of the food the argument had broken up, and soon Ezra had been curled into Kanan’s side as the holovid began to play.

It was a simple story, though with parallels to their own struggles. There were brave rebels, fighting against an oppressive empire, and dangerous Darksiders (even if they weren’t called that, the yellow eyes were unmistakable) and even a climactic race to destroy a superweapon that ended (of course) in victory. It was the sort of vid that he would have watched with his parents; and now, sitting with the crew, his belly full of sweets and tea and sleep tugging at his eyes as the credits began to roll, he could admit to himself that if felt natural to watch it with the others.

With his new family. 

With that happy thought lazily swimming in his head, he helped clean up, and slipped into bed after saying goodnight, falling into a deep and restful sleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.


End file.
